Match Report: Arsenal vs West Ham United
- Aug 11, 2015
- 3 min read
Arsenal have begun the 2015/16 season in abysmal fashion, starting off with a 2-0 home loss to West Ham United. The glistening sparkle in the eyes of Arsenal fans around the world was quickly replaced by feelings of "here we go again" once the final whistle was blown. With the signing of Petr Cech from Chelsea, Arsenal's defensive third was meant to be the most stable it had been for years, but in the end it was quite the opposite.
Arsenal started strong, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain making the most of his opportunity on the field while Alexis Sanchez was (supposed) to have the week off following his successful La Copa America campaign. Strong runs across the field and down the line kept defenders honest and on their toes, but it was evident from the beginning of the game that "The Ox" was the only Arsenal player who was giving the game absolutely everything he had. Some lazy finishing from Giroud and wayward passes from Ramsey meant that the Hammers were often let off the hook. On more than one occasion, Spanish goalkeeper Adrian was called on to make some sublime saves, keeping the Gunners attack at bay.
Despite Arsenal dominating the opening 42 minutes of play, it was West Ham who broke the deadlock via a well placed free kick from new French signing Dimitri Payet, who found the head of Cheikhou Kouyaté, nodding past the rushing Cech. While the new keeper, in hindsight, probably would've been better off staying in his goal, the marking on the free kick was egregious. This highlights a lack of communication between Cech and the defenders and Kouyate was presented with an uncontested header that any Premier League player would be capable of finishing.
If blame for the first goal was somewhat ambiguous, there was little doubt about the second. After Francis Coquelin recovered the ball inside his own penalty box, Oxlade-Chamberlain tapped the ball too far out of his own reach, far enough for Mauro Zarate to recover just beyond the edge of the box. Zarate picked up the ball and immediately shot it and from that distance it was expected that Cech would stop the ball easily. This was not the case. Cech made a move to his left before readjusting and stumbling back to his right, but not fast enough to reach the low shot.
A player with the experience of Cech should not be being beaten from that distance, especially moving the wrong way before diving for the ball.
Throughout the game, Arsenal were lacklustre and unmotivated, the two goals conceded didn't seem to light a fire within the belly of the Gunners, who were desperate enough to bring on Alexis Sanchez in the second half. Olivier Giroud had a number of chances that went astray or stopped by the impressive Adrian, but some of the chances created for the French striker really should have been put away.
Something that is becoming painstakingly too common; Mesut Ozil was largely invisbile for large chunks of the game and Aaron Ramsey proved once again that he isn't a winger and is best suited to a central midfield position. After conceding the first goal, the Sky Sports commentator noted:
"And just like that, Arsenal's magical pre-season means nothing, and it won't be long until the pundits start saying 'here we go again' again."
The game also saw the debut of sixteen year old Reece Oxford, who begged Arsenal (via Twitter) to sign Mesut Ozil only two years ago. Over the course of the game, the youngster was instrumental in breaking down attacks and intercepting passes. He's the youngest ever player to debut for West Ham and is also the youngest player to ever debut in the Europa League. While Oxford is certainly one for the future, there should be more concern surrounding the Arsenal players and the lack of character they displayed after conceding both goals.
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